Tips and tactics to prevent deer damage to your garden and landscape

Nov. 23, 2012

Even within our city limits, whitetail deer can be damaging pests in the garden. Your best defense against hungry deer is to use a combination of tactics to keep the animals guessing. / Robert Zimmer/The-Post Crescent

Written by

Robert Zimmer

Post-Crescent staff writer

Deer do a great deal of unseen damage during fall and winter, snipping off next year's leaf and flower buds. You may not notice the extent of the damage until the following spring, when the tree or shrub fails to leaf out or blossom. / Robert Zimmer/The-Post Crescent

Chances are, even if you garden within city and village boundaries, you have experienced the joys of watching whitetail deer visit your property.

What begins as a calming, pleasant sight, however, can quickly turn ugly when visiting deer pause to nibble on your most treasured plants. Deer have become a gardener’s most troublesome pest in many areas in and near the Fox Cities.

Contrary to what clever marketing promos might tell you, there is no such thing as a “deer-resistant” plant. A hungry whitetail will eat just about anything, especially in winter, when their choices become severely limited. Deer-resistant doesn’t mean that deer won’t eat it, only that they prefer not to in most circumstances.

Be aware that, just like humans, individual deer have different taste preferences as well, their own personal favorite foods. I have seen many websites and publications claim that daylilies, for example, are deer-resistant. However, plump, juicy daylily buds and flowers in bloom are often the first thing deer in our area devour.

A growing urban population of deer within the Fox Cities means more deer are around to enjoy the bountiful treats our gardens have to offer. Problems with browsing deer are no longer just a problem for country gardeners.

Damage to trees and shrubs in winter is often severe, though the full impact of the damage may not be noticed until the following spring when the plant leafs out, or fails to because hungry deer have snipped off every leaf bud over the course of the winter months. Shrubs that set flowering buds in fall are also prone to damage, again not normally noticeable until spring when a reduction in blooms is seen.

Many commercial products with clever names battle for your dollars, claiming to protect your plants. As many gardeners quickly learn, however, most of these products work only for a short time, if at all. Deer are highly adaptable and will adjust to repellants and gimmick products quickly.

A good off-fence

What’s the best defense? There are only a few sure-fire ways to keep deer from feeding on your prized plants — a dog that stays out all night and adequate fencing. Adequate fencing means 8 feet high, or double-spaced if any shorter than that.

A double-spaced, or twin, fence is one where two layers of fencing are placed around an area. While it may seem unappealing visually at first, double-spaced fencing can be made to easily blend into the garden landscape. Incorporating climbing vines, containers and other vertical elements can mask the inside layer of fencing, as well as provide additional gardening space.

Twin fences work because deer do not like to have to leap over two rows of fences in succession. Spacing between the fences is wide enough so that the deer cannot jump both at once. A less expensive option that works quite well is to stack wooden pallets along the border. Deer don’t like walking on the slatted structures.

When installing double-spaced fencing, a minimum of four feet should separate the inside layer of fencing from the main outside layer. The inner fence does not need to be as high as the outer, but should still be at least four feet.

In the absence of either, you’ll have the best success dealing with deer by employing a combination of tactics. Changing it up is a key strategy in protecting your garden plants from deer damage. Don’t let them become too comfortable. Keep them guessing and you will see the best results.

Tactical measures

Deer rely heavily on their keen sense of smell when feeding. Another way to make your garden less appealing to wandering whitetails is to incorporate heavily-scented plants into your landscape, especially around the property edges. Strongly-scented herbs, such as chives, garlic, onions, thyme, lavender and mints, as well as alliums and scented geraniums are often avoided.

Adding or changing garden elements frequently is another helpful way to keep deer from hanging around too long. Deer generally dislike new things, or changes to their routine, so even simple measures such as stacking wood in a pile and moving it around frequently can do the trick. Garden art and structures, especially those with moving parts make deer skittish.

To protect your trees and shrubs from bud-browsing deer in winter, tie aluminum cans, wind chimes and other noisy items among the branches. Many gardeners have reported success tying bunches of human or dog hair to the branches, along with bars of scented soap.

For a ground offense, desperate gardeners swear by cat litter (used, as it is the scent that works), dog droppings and fish scales to deter wayward whitetails. Simply scatter around your favorite plants to keep the deer from coming too close.

Motion detecting lights, sound-makers and sprinklers are also effective. Sudden motions and a quick blast of water will send them running for cover. Be aware that deer will eventually come to realize that these are harmless, so don’t rely solely on one device for too long. The best strategy, again, is to change it up.

Home remedies

There are a number of home remedies many gardeners swear by, most of them tapping into a deer’s sense of smell. WHBY’s Kathy Keene shared her popular deer repellent recipe with me, which includes three eggs, scrambled. Let the eggs stand outdoors for a few days, until they really begin to smell. Add a quart of warm water and spray on plants immediately. The mixture should be reapplied after rains or heavy dew.

Diane Lenz, from Pondside Gardens, shares a similar recipe she uses to keep deer away from their prized hostas, lilies and other perennials. Beat one egg and ˝ cup milk together, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish detergent. Add the mixture to one gallon of water and stir or shake well. Apply liquid to plants using a spray bottle. Reapply every two weeks or after heavy rains.